Russia backs China's "double suspension" proposal on Korean Peninsula

Russia backs China's proposal on the suspension of missile and nuclear tests by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and of joint military drills by the United States and South Korea at the UN Security Council, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Saturday.

"During a broad discussion, members of the council (UNSC) unanimously called upon the DPRK to renounce missile and nuclear tests and implement relevant UNSC resolutions," the ministry said in a statement following an open ministerial meeting on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue held by the UNSC Friday.

The UNSC also called for "a political and diplomatic solution" to the issue during the meeting, the statement added.

"In this context, the Russian Federation supports China's proposal for a 'double suspension' (the suspension of Pyongyang's missile and nuclear tests in exchange for the suspension of U.S.-South Korean military drills near the DPRK) as a starting point for political negotiations," the ministry said.

Nevertheless, no common solution was made at Friday's meeting, according to the statement.

Last month, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China proposed a dual-track approach of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula, namely the "double suspension" initiative, in an attempt to help the parties break out of the current security dilemma and return to the negotiating table. Endi